Assessing the effect of desertification controlling projects and policies in northern Shaanxi Province, China by integrating remote sensing and farmer investigation data

doi:10.1007/s11707-016-0601-4

Front. Earth Sci.

2017, Vol. 11

Issue (4) : 689-701 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-016-0601-4

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Assessing the effect of desertification controlling projects and policies in northern Shaanxi Province, China by integrating remote sensing and farmer investigation data

Duanyang XU¹(

), Alin SONG², Xiao SONG³

¹. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
². Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
³. Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China

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Abstract

To combat desertification, the Chinese government has launched a series of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies over the past several decades. However, the effect of these projects and policies remains controversial due to a lack of suitable methods and data to assess them. In this paper, the authors selected the farming-pastoral region of the northern Shaanxi Province in China as a sample region and attempted to assess the effect of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies launched after 2000 by combining remote sensing and farmer investigation data. The results showed that the combination of these two complementary assessments can provide comprehensive information to support decision-making. According to the remote sensing and Net Primary Production data, the research region experienced an obvious desertification reversion between 2000 and 2010, and approximately 70% of this reversion can be explained by Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies. Farmer investigation data also indicated that these projects and policies were the dominating factor contributing to desertification reversion, and approximately 70% of investigated farmers agreed with this conclusion. However, low supervision and subsidy levels were issues that limited the policy effect. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to enhance supervision, raise subsidy levels, and develop environmental protection regulations to encourage more farmers to participate in desertification control.

Keywords desertification control policy assessment remote sensing farmer investigation China

Corresponding Author(s): Duanyang XU

Just Accepted Date: 19 October 2016 Online First Date: 14 November 2016 Issue Date: 10 November 2017

Cite this article:

Duanyang XU,Alin SONG,Xiao SONG. Assessing the effect of desertification controlling projects and policies in northern Shaanxi Province, China by integrating remote sensing and farmer investigation data[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2017, 11(4): 689-701.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-016-0601-4
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2017/V11/I4/689

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